Under the Weather

So sorry I haven't been around this week I have been so sick. In case you didn't know moms aren't suppose to get sick :( Not cool!! I'm slowly getting back! I am so thankful that I have an amazing support team that helps out with everything from kitchen duty to taking care of Ky. In fact last night I told the milkman I don't remember how I took care of her on Monday and he said you didn't I did. Well, that would explain alot :) Even yesterday my mother-in-law had her all day. I am so so SO grateful! My advice for each of you take your vitamins, drink lots of juice and wash your hands often. Every little bit helps. Thanks for being patience and hanging on! Stay healthy and have a great day!

Sunrise, Sunset

One of the most amazing benefits of living in the country are the gorgeous sunrises and sunsets. I realize I don't see as many sunrises as the milkman, but the ones I do see like the one below can take my breathe away. So beautiful!! I'm not saying that if you live in the city you don't see a gorgeous sunrise or sunset by any means. I just think that in the country there are no tall buildings to block the view. I hope this weekend you take a minute to see God's beauty no matter where you are, country or city and enjoy all it has to offer!

A Gift

For Christmas this year I bought the milkman tickets to his favorite local basketball team. The Wichita State Shockers. They played one of their biggest rivals. I knew it was going to be a BIG game so at the first of December I booked tickets. It was a sold out game and even getting them 6 weeks early our tickets were on the top row of the arena. It didn't matter we were out on a date away from the farm and the kiddos. Taking a much needed break from all of the responsibilities. I think even as adults it is so important to take a time out to have fun!

We won!!! It was a tight game and so exciting!!

Our friends Darren and Missy were also at the game and so afterwards we all went out to eat (thanks to our favorite dairy queen Kim for the gift card she gave us at Christmas supper was free!) It was so fun to get caught up with them it had been forever. What a great night! I LOVE a great night out!!

So Much Older

I hate when one of my kids grow up over night. It is like I blinked and BAM they are 10 years older! That is what happened yesterday when Tally had her hair cut. Yesterday morning she looked like my young teenage daughter fast forward to a few hours later and……….

BAM an Adult!!! She looks like a professional. I'm not sure what kind of professional maybe lawyer, doctor, stock broker you never know. What I do know is that I love this kid! I love how responsible she is with everything she does, from milking cows (her and Kim hold the record right now for the fastest time getting chores done in the barn) or helping me keep the house picked up and running smoothly and everything in between. She is an amazing kid and I'm looking forward to seeing where God leads her in her life.

Exploration Place

The kids had a 4 day weekend so I took them to our Science and Discovery Center called Exploration place. The kids love it because there are so many hands on things to do. We have only been there one other time and it  was during Spring break and there were so many people. This time we were about the only ones in the whole place. It was awesome!!!

There are tons and tons of hands on exhibits from what really goes on inside your mouth or how to milk a cow! When Ky saw this cow and milker she just stood and stared at it, you could see her little mind turning thinking this does not look like 1 of our cows! I had to laugh outloud.

There was a simulated tornado….

water exhibits that were hands on to show how erosion works.

Kenton's favorite of all was how to harness water for energy by changing the direction of the water he spent so much time at this exhibit getting it "just right"!

Since we were about the only ones there the employees answered so many questions the kiddos had. It was like having our own little tour guides.

My favorite exhibit was the room called Kansas in Miniature. It is so amazing all of the details that it has. Besides all of the details, it also has moving parts to make it look so real.

There is a section that is all medieval complete with a castle that you can climb all through and since the milkman couldn't leave the farm I found another knight in shining armor but I prefer the original LOL :)

We had a great day! If you are in the area I would highly recommend going to the Exploration Place.

A Little Lunch

When you live in the country you can't just run and eat out when you don't feel like cooking. If you get a Mac attack guess what, you have to make it yourself. Unless, you have a friend that when you want a yummy taco and works in town will bring you one out and have lunch with you. This is what my friend Denae does once in awhile. She gets off from work as a nurse at noon and then brings out yummy tacos. I LOVE this!! Thank you "Dino" for bringing out lunch and for all the good laughs you bring with them!

Couponing 101

Some of the moms that I know from the kiddos school knew that I couponed and they wanted to know if they could come over and learn some tricks of the trade. I told them I wasn't all that and a bag of chips but I would love for them to come over and I could explain to them what I do to save money.  Plus, when is it not fun to get together with some girls and chit chat?

 Kyler loved it because there was some other kids to play with instead of just her mother so that was a huge plus. They played so nicely together.

 Thanks ladies for coming over and hanging out. It was such a good time! I hope your shopping trips from now on will help put money back in your pockets :)

Oh My!

Remember last week Taryn hurt her ankle playing basketball? This is what it looks like now. She says it looks worse then it feels. I told she better not push it to hard in practices. She just does that eye roll teenage thing and says "mom I will be fine." The milkman assures me this looks normal for a bad strain. I just say OUCH!

 

What is Fodder?

At the World Dairy Expo (which is a huge, worldwide trade show for the dairy industry) that we went to in October, the milkman and Kenton found a system that grows fodder. What is fodder you ask? It is  feed for cows that is grown in a climate controlled area. Fodder is an excellent way to give your cows the vitamins and minerals they need to make good yummy milk. Plus, it is not only super healthy for your cows it is very cost efficient. So, the milkman and Kenton decided they would try it on a small scale for a month and see if it really does everything it says before going full scale for the whole dairy. They ordered up enough supplies to feed 12 cows. When everything was delivered Kenton went to work getting everything set up. I'm not kidding you the milkman didn't put anything together Kenton set the whole thing up. That boy of mine always amazes me!

 Here is how it works. Kenton puts wheat seed into a tray. He has to make sure that it is level the whole length of the tray.

 The black spout you see there is the watering system. It comes on every 2 hours to give the seed lots and lots of water.

After about 48 hours the seeds start to sprout.

Kenton spends alot everyday tending to the fodder. He does it in stages so that they always have fresh fodder to feed the cows.

 This is what it looks like when it is about ready to harvest. 1 tray will feed 2 cows. In a few months the results will be in to how well this new system works. I'm excited to see the results and see if all his hard work pays off.